2025 Year of the Eulsa - Dobong-gu New Year's Address
The new year of 2025, the Year of the Eulsa (乙巳), has dawned.
The Year of the Eulsa is the year of the Blue Snake. The blue snake symbolizes wisdom as well as change and growth.
This year, may you, our readers, receive the energy of the blue snake and achieve valuable results in all your endeavors.
Dobong-gu will also strive for greater growth this year, just as our district catchphrase says: “Change·Growth·Future Dobong.”
This year, Dobong-gu plans to promote 50 core projects across six major sectors. Through these efforts, we will further realize our vision of a “Future Dobong.”
We will transform into a future development city where nature and people coexist. We will improve aging residential environments through reconstruction and redevelopment. Since the launch of the 8th elected administration, the district has established a dedicated department to swiftly promote maintenance projects, currently carrying out reconstruction and redevelopment projects at a total of 80 sites within the district.
Projects are actively underway at 15 reconstruction complexes including Changdong Sanga 1st Complex, 5 redevelopment sites such as Ssangmun 3 District Baekjo Apartments, 4 urban public housing complex projects including the east and west sides of Ssangmun Station, and 56 small-scale housing maintenance projects including Moa Town in Ssangmun 1-dong Cheonghan and Ui Villa. To ensure the successful progress of all these projects, we will actively support residents through resident briefings, resident schools, rapid support teams, and resident consultation offices.
We will dramatically transform the Changdong area. Through several large-scale development projects, we will lead the leap to become the central city of northeastern Seoul.
The first is the Seoul Arena complex cultural facility. We will work with Seoul City to promote the project aiming for completion in 2027 as originally planned. We will also coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure the Changdong Station complex transfer center is completed by 2030, reflecting the opinions of local residents throughout the process. The Changdong private investment station, which recorded a 67% progress rate as of January this year, will be completed by March 2026.
We will become the transportation hub of northeastern Seoul. The GTX-C line, which has been decided to be underground, will begin construction this year and we will strive for its completion by 2028. We will also lead the extension of SRT service to Changdong Station. This is actively supported by Seoul City as well. We will make every effort to have the Suseo-origin SRT metropolitan northeastern extension plan included in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan.
The extension project of the Uisinseol light rail to Banghak-dong will also begin construction within this year. With the construction method changing from competitive bidding to negotiated contract, the start of construction is expected to be accelerated. Together with Seoul City, we will ensure active administration so that construction begins within this year and the line opens in 2031.
We will develop a vibrant economic territory that embraces all generations. First, we will strengthen the competitiveness of Dobong-gu’s representative industry, the sock manufacturing industry. We will dispatch overseas trade delegations to widely promote Dobong-gu socks worldwide. This year, we will visit Atlanta, USA, to aggressively develop sales channels. The online shopping mall, which was piloted in September last year, will be fully operated this year to expand beyond Korea to the world.
Traditional markets and shopping districts will also be transformed to meet current trends. Through comprehensive traditional market environment improvement projects, we will create clean and modernized traditional markets. Additionally, we will attract many visitors through festivals and projects linked to local culture and tourism resources.
Dobong-gu will open the door to youth employment and entrepreneurship. We will continue to expand the youth internship program. This year’s budget is set at 450 million KRW, an increase of 180 million KRW from last year. The number of participants has also increased: from 9 to 15 for public institution practical internships, from 3 to 8 for corporate practical internships, and from 7 to 9 for the highly competitive overseas internships. Since the internship program began, there have been two successful employment cases.
We will actively support young people with entrepreneurial ambitions through the Youth Startup Center. The center currently provides startup spaces, counseling, and practical startup education. Going forward, we will create a more sustainable startup environment through an entrepreneurial ecosystem connecting the center with ‘Seed Cube Changdong’ and ‘Seoul Startup Hub Changdong.’
Last November, the local edutech specialist company ‘Aelux’ was listed on the KOSDAQ market. ‘Aelux’ has achieved sales of 50 billion KRW in Dobong-gu and increased its workforce from 50 to 150 employees. We will continue to support the emergence of such companies in Dobong-gu.
Underground confirmation of the GTX-C line in Dobong-gu, normal progress of the Uibanghak light rail after 15 years, groundbreaking of Seoul Arena, relaxation of height restrictions for the first time in 34 years, easing of floor area ratio regulations in semi-industrial areas for the first time in 20 years, maintenance of soundproof walls along the Gyeongwon Line and creation of buffer green walking paths, expansion of local red soil trails.
All of these have been achieved since the beginning of the 8th elected administration. There is nothing we cannot accomplish in the series of projects ahead.
We will not be complacent. We will quicken our pace. To take one more step toward the “Future Dobong” we dream of, we will work busily again this year.
The situation is unstable. But as mentioned earlier, Dobong-gu has achieved development despite numerous difficulties.
Together with our residents, we will move forward boldly without fear of crises or challenges. We hope residents and readers will join us on this journey.
Thank you.
Dobong-gu Mayor Oh Eon-seok
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